Fire-kindler or similar apparatus for mixing air and fluid.



Patented lune I8, |90I.l

N- 676536' n. FEnGusoN.

4FIFIE KINDLER 0B SIMILAR APPARATUS FOB MIXING 'AIRAND FLUID.

(Applicatio med me. 2s, 1899. Renewed Nav. so, 1900.)

2,Sheets$heet l.

(No lldel.)

. I l I T PatIented lune I8,4 I90I.

R. FERGUSON.

FIRE KINDLER 0R SIMILAR APPARATUS FOR MIXING AIR AND FLUID.

(Application filed Dec. 23, 1899. Renewed Nov. 30, 1900.) (No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2.

" Unirse STATES Frisia.

PATENT' u ROBERT FERGUSON, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECTAND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WILLIAM M. SIMPSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FlRE-KINDLER OR SIMILAR APPARATUS FOR MIXING AIR AND FLUID.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 676,536, dated June 18,1901.

Application filed December 23,1899. Renewed November 30, 1900. SerialNo. 38,139.

To if/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State ofMinnesota,haveinvented certain newan d useful Improvements inFire-Kindlers or Similar Apparatus for Mixing Air and Fluid, ot` whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and ro useful improvements inapparatus for mixing air and a fluid and supplying the same underpressure for various uses.

The invention is particularly adapted to kindling fires in locomotives,and I have therefore for convenience and simplicity shown thisapplication of the invention in thedrawings, although it will hedistinctly understood that the invention may be adapted and used insetting tires, straightening 2o frames, and in all other connectionswhere a machine-shop blowpipe is now or may be employed and also inother connections.

One object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensiveapparatus which can z5 be readily moved about as occasion demands andeasily manipulated to control the mixing of the air and fluid in thedesired proportions and the discharge of the saturated air for anypurpose.

yOther objects ofV the invention are to accomplish the feeding of fluidfrom a tank or other source of supply and mixing it with air underpressure, to provide for cleaning out the parts after the apparatus hasbeen 5 used, to remove surplus fluid, and to permit the coniined air inthe fluid-supply to escape, so as to relieve the supply of air-pressure.

Another object is to provide an apparatus which can be used for kindlingfires in locomotives without opening the lire-box door by applying theburnerunder the grate, thereby causing the flame toV pass up through-thegreen coal and quickly start a brisk fire in the fire-box under thenatural draft of the locomotive.

A further object is to provide a novel valve for an apparatus of thischaracter which can be manipulated by a single lever to accomplish allor any of several results, to wit: the

(No model.)

admission of air to the fluid-tank to force the 5o fluid therefrom andto mix the'fluid with air before it is discharged, to cause the air topass through the apparatus without entering the tank, or to shut off theair entirely and permit the air under pressure in the tank to blow off;and a further Objectis to provide a valve with an air-chamber and amixingchamber and connect it with an air-supply and a fluid-tank, sothat the air may be caused to pass into the air-chamber and the tank 6oand force the duid from the tank into the mixing-chamber, where it willbe mixed with air passing from the air-chamber and then discharged underpressure My invention has in View also to mix air and a fluid togetherina simple and accurate. manner, so that a fuel will be produced inproper proportions for securing superior combustion without wasting thefluid, to regulate the supply of air, and thereby control the 7oproportions of air and fluid as they are mixed,

and to accomplish many other important results, which will fully appearhereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aside view showing myinvention embodied 75.

in a portable locomotive fire-kindler, the fluidtank being partly brokenaway to show the oil-pipe therein. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of thevalve detached. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the valve on theline 8 3 of Fig. 8o 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional viewof the valveon the line 4 4. of. Fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows an end View of the valve andindicates the different positions the operating-lever may have. Fig. 6shows the valve-plug detached. 85 Figs. 7 to 1G, inclusive, aresectional views on the lines 7 7 and 8 8 of Fig. 4 and showing the valvein its different positions. Fig. 17 illustrates a burner which I mayuse.

Referring to the drawings, in which like 9o characters of referencedenote corresponding parts in all of the figures, A designates anordinary tank or reservoir of any preferred size and construction forholding the. fluid which is to be mixed with air and supplied as a fuel,and for convenience and to enable the apparatus to be easily moved fromplace to place as occasion requires I support this tank in a skeletonframe B of any desired form and mount the same upon suitablecarrying-wheels C. The form and character of the tank and its framemaybe varied as desired, as my invention can be used with any kind offluid-supply receptacle and whether it be portable or stationary. v

The apparatus is operated entirely by the lever D of the valve E, and itis this valve which constitutes the principal feature of my n invention.

The valve E consists of a tapered plug F, arranged'within a body G, thelever D being secured on the projecting outer end of the plug by a nutd. This plug is held in place within the body by means of a spring Hbearing against the larger end of the plug and inclosed within a cap b,screwed to the body. rl`he body of the valve is provided with a downwardextension I, having an exterior thread yby means of which the valve canbe screwed into an opening in the top of the tank, as shown in Fig. l,and this extension is provided with a passage .I for admitting air tothe tank and a passage K for permitting the fluid to pass therefrom.vThe lower end oi the passage K is enlarged and threaded to receive apipe k, which extends down adjacent to the bottom of the tank. The bodyof the valve also has a connection L on one side for receiving theair-inlet hose l and an oppositely-disposed connection M for thedischarge-hose M', passages 4 and 7 being provided in said connectionsfor a purpose hereinafter described. I may employ hose or flexible pipeof any description, or I may use ordinary jointed pipe, this being adetail of the invention which can be changed to suit differentconditions.

The plug is provided with an air-chamber N and a mixingchamber O, thesechambers being separated by a partition n, having an opening o. A simpleway of making these chambers is to bore a centralopening in the -plugand arrange the partition-plate therein against a shoulder, so as todivide the opening into the two chambers, and closing the centralopening with a screw-head P. I reserve the right, however, to make thesechambers and locate them in any other way and position that may be foundsuitable.

In 4that part of the plug containing the airchamber. N, I provideair-ports l 2 3, which are adapted to register with the air-passage 4and outlet-passage J in the valve-body, and in that part of the plugcontaining the mixing-chamber are the ports 5 and 6, which are adaptedto register with the passages K and 7. To guide the operator inadjusting the lever, I provide a pointer R on the lever and a rib r onthe valve-body, suitably marked, as shown in Fig. 2, or the lever mayoperate alongside a curved arm S, properly marked, as shown in Fig. 5.The rib or arm is provided with marks of a suitable character toindicate at what points the lever should be' brought to open certainports and passages,

as will be fully described hereinafter. The screw 'l is provided toregulate the manner in which the port l shall register with passage 4and control the supply of air entering the air-chamberby constituting alimit to the stroke or movement of the lever.

I will now proceed to describe the operation of my invention as embodiedin a locomotive iire-kindler.

The tank being partially lled with a fluid, the apparatus may be movedup close to a locomotive and the hose Z connected with an air-supplypipe. The burner U is arranged beneath the grate of the dre-box of thelocomotive, andwhen the mixed air and fluid issuing from the burner islighted the llame will extend up through the green coal -and quicklyignite the same and produce a'hot iire at once.- The burner can bemovedaround beneath the grate, so as to ignite all the coal in thetire-box and start the fire burning briskly'in all parts of the lire-boxiu a very short space ot time. The air-pressure is used to force theluid out of the .tank and also rto mix therewith and feed the mixture tothe burner or elsewhere, and the admission of air to the air-chamber ofthe valve and to the tank, as Well as the escape ot' duid from the tankand the feeding of the mixed air and fluid, is controlled and governedentirely by the single lever D. In Fig. 5 of the drawingsI haveindicated the different positions to which this lever may be adjusted,the correspomding positions of the plug and its ports beingshown inFigs.7 to 16, inclusive. When the lever is in closed position 'V, Fig. 5, theplug will be in the position shown in Figs. 7 and 8, all ports beingclosed except the port 6, which only partly registers with the passage7. If the lever is turned to the full limit of its upward movement andinto open position Z, the plug will be arranged as shown in Figs. 9 and10, with the ports l and 3 registering with the air-inlet passage 4 andoutlet-passage J, respectively, the port 5 registering with theHuid-passage K and the port 6 registering with the mixture-passage 7. Itwill therefore be readily observed that when the lever is thrown to openposition the air will pass through passage 4 and port I into theair-chamberNand a part of the air will pass down through vthe port 3 andpassage .I into the tank to force the duid therein up through the pipe7c, passage K, and port 5 into the mixing-chamber O, where the iiuid ismixed with a portion of the air, which passes from the air-chamber intothe mixing-chamber through the opening o in the partition, and themixture is carried on out under pressure of the air through port G,passage 7, and the hose M to the burner U or elsewhere. The area of theport 6 and passage 7 and the combined area of the openings in theburnershould exceed the area of the opening o in the partition, so asIOS IIO

to provide a lower pressure of -air in the mixing-chamber than in thetank and air-chamber, and thereby permit the fluid to iiow up freelythrough the pipe lo. The screw T may be adjusted to provide fora full orpartial registering of the port 5 with passage 4, and thereby regulatethe air-supply which enters the air-chamber, controlling the supply ofiuid flowing from the tank and the proportions ot' air and fluid to bemixed together. Assuming that the lire has been properly kindled, thenext step is to shut off the airsupply to stop forcing the fluid fromthe tank and, in fact, completing the operation of the apparatus as faras supplying mixed air and fluid is concerned. The air-su pply can becutoff, of course, by throwing the lever down to closed position V at once;vbut that would leave the tank full of compressed air, so that if thevalve should be accidentally turned to cause the port 5 to register evenslightly with the passage K the mixture would escape unexpectedly andblow off through the burner. Besides, I desire to remove all surplusfluid from the mixing-chamber and the hose M' when the operation iscompleted to keep them in a clean condition, and thereby promote theefficiency of the apparatus and also to prevent rotting the hose. I havetherefore provided for moving the lever to position Y, Figs. 11 and 12,which results in closing the passages J K and permitting the air to passdirectly from the air-chamber through the opening o into themixing-chamber and thence into the hose M. This will effectually freethe mixing-chamber and the hose of all fluid remaining therein and keepthem in a clean condition. If it is desired to cut o the air-supply andoutlet-ports temporarily while the apparatus is still in use, the leveris thrown into position X, Figs. 13 and 14, in which all the ports willbe lapped except the outlet 6. To permit the air which remains underpressure in the tank to escape, the lever is turned to position W, Figs.15 and 16,in which the airsupply is cutoff, and port 2 registers withpassage J, so that the air in the tank may pass through passage J to theair-chamber and mixing-chamber and the port 6 and passage 7 to the hoseM' and escape therefrom, relieving the tank from air-pressure entirely.It will thus be observed that after my apparatus has been in use I amable to return it to its original condition without leaving compressedair in the tank and with the valve and hose free from fluid, which wouldclog the parts, rot the hose, and destroy the effectiveness of theapparatus if permitted to accumulate, and this is accomplished entirelyby a simple manipulation of the valve-lever. The different movementsconstitute, in effect, a continuous cycle of operation for theapparatus, which is usually followed; but the movements are not limitedto this order, and they may be performed wholly independent of eachother. The lever may be regulated by the adj usting-screw to govern thevolume of air admitted to the air-chamber, and in this Way theproportions of air and fluid which are mixed together are controlled andmaintained.

It has heretofore been customary to insert the burner of a iire-kindlerin the tire-box of a locomotive through the door and direct the iiamedown upon the coal; but this method has many disadvantages. I arrange myburner under the grate, leaving the fire-box door closed, and the liameextends upward through the coal under the natural draft of the ireboxand the pressure of the air in the hose. The air and fluid becomethoroughly intermingled and mixed in the mixing-chamber and the hose M,and thereby promote the combustion, while at the same time reducing thequantity of the uid used. I prefer to have the burner U carried by apiece of pipe m', connected with the hose M', and it may be constructedin any desired shape and character to suit the particular application ofthe invention. As shown in Fig. 17, I prefer to provide two holes in theupper side of the burner, so that the iiame will be directed upward intothe coal, and this burner may be constructed in any desired manner, asin Fig. 1 or Fig. 17, or otherwise.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the mechanical arts that myinvention can be put to a great variety of uses besides those hereinmentioned, the only change involved in most instances being-in the kindof burner einployed. My improved valve may also be used in many otherrelations where it is desired to mix air and a iiuid, and I reserve theright to use it with the parts described and with any and all otherparts and for any other purpose to which it may be applicable.

Instead of providing a burnerU the pipe M or the hose m may be connectedto any other part which may be desirable and the mixed air and liuidcarried off to a distant point.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description and the drawings thatmy improved apparatus as embodied in a ii'e-kindler is exceedinglysimple and can be operated without the exercise of any special skill tokindle a iire in a locomotive quickly and in a thorough manner. Theapparatus is manipulated by a single lever, and the constructionis suchthat it is practically impossible to operate the apparatus improperly orfor the apparatus to get out ot' order.

I may use any kind of volatile oil in the tank, crude oil beingpreferred, and the pressure should be sufiicient to force the oil fromthe tank in the desired quantity; but I may use a gas in the tank, inwhich case, lthe gas being under pressure, it would not be necessary topass the air from the air-chamber into the tank until the gas thereinhad reached a very low pressure, whereupon the air could be turned intothe tank to force the gas there- IOO IIO

'f tank, of a valve connected with the tank and with a source ofcompressed-air supply, said valve being provided with an air-chamber inwhich the volume of air entering the valve is adapted to be divided, anda mixing-chamber in which liquid from the tank is mixed With compressedair. from the air-chamber, substantially as described.

2. The combination with aliquid-fuel tank, of a valve connected with thetank and With a source of compressed-air supply, said valve having anair-chamber and a communicating mixing-chamber, both of said chambershaving communication with the tank, so that the air passing into theair-chamber will be divided and a portion enter the tank to force theiuid therefrom, While a portion passes into the mixing-chamber to mixWith the fluid coming from .the tank, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a liquid-fnel-s'upply tank, of a valveconnecting With the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply,said valve having an air-chamber and a communicating mixing-chamber andadapted to direct a portion of the compressed-air supply into the tankto force the liquid into the mixing-chamber, Where it is mixed with aportion of the air entering the mixing-chamber from the air-chamber, anda delivery-pipe connected With said mixing-chamber, substantially asdescribed.

4. A valve provided With an air-chamber and a communicating air andliquid mixing chainberand a delivery-outlet for the mixing-chamber, incombination With a coinpressed-air supply connected with theairchamber'and a liquid-supply having independent connections with theair and mixing chambers, substantially as described.

5. A valve provided with an air-chamber and an air and liquid mixingchamber, a partition located between said chambers, and having anopening therein, in combination with a-compressed-air supply connectedwith the air-chamber and a liquid-supply having independent connectionsWith the air and mixing chambers, and a delivery-outlet for themixing-chamber of greater area than the opening in thepartitiomsubstantially as described.

6. A valve provided with an air-chamber having an air-supply connectionand an air and liquid mixing chamber provided with a delivery-outlet, apartition located between said chambers and having an opening therein,and a liquid-fuel tank connected With the valve and having independentcommunica- `the tank, and a mixing-chamber communicating With the tankand having an outlet, and a partition located between said chambers andprovided with an opening so that a portion of the air entering theair-chamber may pass into the mixing-chamber While a portion of the airpasses into the tank, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valvecomprising a plug provided vWith a central opening, a partition locatedin said opening and dividing the plug into an air and a mixing chamber,said air-chamber having communication With the air-supply and the tank,and the mixing-chamber having communication with the tank and an outlet,and the partition being provided with an opening so that the airentering the air-chamber may be divided to pass into the mixing-chamberand into the tank, and a burner connected With the outlet from themixing-chamber and provided with openings for the discharge of the mixedair and liquid, the combined area of said openings being larger than theopening of the partition-plate, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and With a source of compressed-air supply, said valvecomprising a body provided with an inlet and an outlet passage and 'withindependent passages leading to and from the tank, and a plug operatingWithin the body and provided with ports to register With the passages,substantially as described.

I0. The combination with aliquid-fuel -supply tank, of a Valve connectedwith the tank plug operating Within the body and havinga number of portsdisposed in relation to each pair of inlet and outlet passages, andadapted to be adjusted to register therewith, substantially asdescribed.

11. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valvecomprising a plug provided with an air-chamber and an air and liquidmixing chamber,and ports communicating therewith, and a body inclosingsaid plug and having an independent inlet and outlet passage for each ofsaid chambers, substantially as described.

12. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply,

IOO

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v said valve comprising a body provided with passage communicating witha source of compressed-air supply, air and liquid passages communicatingwith the tank, and a deliveryoutlet passage, and a plug operating Withinthe body and provided With an air-chamber and a communicatingmixing-chamber, said plug being provided with ports 1 and 3 toregisterwith the air inlet and outlet passages,

`and ports 5 and 6 to register with the liquid and delivery outletpassages, substantially as described.

14. The combination Withaliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and comprising a body having an inlet-passagecommunicating with a source of compressed-air supply, air andV liquidpassages communicating with the tank, and adeliveryoutlet passage, and aplug operating Within the body and provided with an air-chamber and amixing-chamber, said plug having three ports communicating With theair-chamber and adapted to be registered with the air inlet and outletpassages in the body, and two ports communicating with themixing-chamber and adapted to be registeredwith the liquid and deliveryoutlet passages in the body, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

15. The combination with a liquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and comprising a body having an air-inlet passagecommunicating with a source ot' oompressed-air supply, air and liquidpassages communicating with the tank, and a deliveryoutlet passage, anda plug operating within the body and provided with an air-chamber and amixing-chamber, said plug being provided with a port 3, a larger port 1and an intermediate port 2 communicating with the air-chamber andadapted to register with the air inlet and outlet passages in the body,and a port 5 and a larger port 6 communicating with the mixing-chamberand adapted to register with the liquid and delivery outlet passagesinthe body,'substantially as described.

16. The combination withaliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and having an air-chamber and a mixingchamber, a partitionbetween said chambers provided with an opening, an air-inlet leading tosaid air-chamber, a delivery-outlet from the mixing-chamber, and meansfor directing the air through the valve to the tank to force the liquidinto the mixing-chamber and through the delivery-outlet, lor to shut offthe air-supply from the tank yand cause the air to pass directly throughthe air and mixing chambers to the delivery-outlet, or to shut off theair-supply and permit the compressed air in the tank to escape,substantially as described.

17. The combination Withaliquid-fuel tank, of a valve connectedtherewith and having an air-inlet and an air-outlet, a liquid-inlet anda delivery-outlet, and a plug provided Vwith ports to register with theair-inlet and liquidinlet and air-outlet and delivery-outlet so that bymanipulating the plug the air may be directed into the ltank to forcethevliquid therefrom, or be shut oit from the tank and directed throughthe valve, substantially as described.

18. The combination with aliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, the said valvecomprising a body and a plug provided With a compressed-air chamberintermediate of the air-supply and the liquidtank and a mixing-chamberreceiving liquid from the tank and air from the air-chamber, and anoutlet for the mixed air and liquid, substantially as described.

f 19. The combination With aliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valveconnected with the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, saidvalve comprising a body having air inlet and outlet passages, aliquid-inlet passage and a delivery-outlet passage for the mixed air andliquid, and a plug operating Within the body and having an air-chamberand a connecting mixing-chamber, ports communicating with theair-chamber and adapted to register with the air-passages and portscommunicating with the mixing-chamber and adapted to register With theliquid-passage, and means for operating said plug, substantially asdescribed.

20. The combination with aliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valvecomprising a body and a plug provided with passages and ports throughwhich the air and liquid pass, and a device for operating said valve tocause" the air to pass into the tank and also to mix in the valve withthe liquid forced from the tank by the air which passes therein,substantially as described.

21. Thecombination withaliquid-fuel-supply tank, of a valve connectedwith the tank and with a source of compressed-air supply, said valvecomprising a body and a plug provided respectively withpassages andports adapted to be registered with each other at different times fordirecting the flow of air and liquid through the valve, and a device foroperating said valve and controlling the registration of the passagesand ports to direct the air into the tank and also into the liquidforced from the tank to be mixed therewith, or to cause the air to passdirectly through the valve Without entering the tank, for operating thesame, and an adjustable or to shut olf the air-supply and open Jchescrew device forming a stop for and limiting to air-passage to the tankto permit; the air therethe Inovem ent of said lever, substantial] y asin to escape, substantially as described. described. f 5 22. Thecombination with a liquid-fnel-sup- ROBT. FERGUSON. ply tank, of a Valveconnectedv with the tank Witnesses:

and with a source of compressed-air supply, LILLIAN A. WASON, said valvecomprising a body, a plug, a leverl OTTO' KUEFFNER.

